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Font Extensions

Problem​

When a JasperReport is exported (e.g., as a PDF file), fonts are not formatted correctly. Bold, italic, or bold-italic styles are missing or ignored in the exported output.
In contrast, formatting is correctly displayed when the report is viewed in the ADITO client. This discrepancy is due to missing or incorrect font embedding during PDF generation.

Solution​

Fonts used in reports must be embedded in the export context. The font extension must be deployed on the ADITO Server for server-side exports.

Procedure: Creating a Font Extension​

Step 1: Start the Designer​

Start the JasperReports Designer.

warning

The Designer may need to be launched with administrative privileges to allow writing font data to disk.

Step 2: Open the Font Configuration​

Navigate via:

Einstellungen → Install Fonts

Einstellungen > Fonts)
Figure: Font configuration in the iReport Designer via ADITO Start Button

Click Install Fonts, then Browse.

Step 3: Select Font Files​

Start by selecting the normal TrueType font (e.g., SegoeUI.ttf).

Select font file
Figure: Selecting the normal font file in the Font Installation step

Click Open and proceed. Then add .ttf files for:

  • Bold
  • Italic
  • BoldItalic

Font variants
Figure: Assigning bold, italic, and bold-italic variants in the Family Details step

Step 4: Configure Font Properties​

  • Set PDF Encoding to Identity-H (recommended)
  • Enable Embed this font in the PDF document

Step 5: Export as Extension​

Click Export as Extension to generate a .jar file.

Step 6: Adjust the font.xml File​

Before deployment, the .jar must be modified.

  1. Extract the .jar file
  2. Locate the fonts/font.xml file
  3. Remove all <![CDATA[...]]> sections
  4. Set <pdfEmbedded> to true

Invalid Example​

<fontFamily name="Verdana">
    <normal><![CDATA[fonts/verdana.ttf]]></normal>
    <bold><![CDATA[fonts/verdanab.ttf]]></bold>
    <italic><![CDATA[fonts/verdanai.ttf]]></italic>
    <boldItalic><![CDATA[fonts/verdanaz.ttf]]></boldItalic>
    <pdfEmbedded><![CDATA[false]]></pdfEmbedded>
</fontFamily>

Corrected Example​

<fontFamily name="Verdana">
    <normal>fonts/verdana.ttf</normal>
    <bold>fonts/verdanab.ttf</bold>
    <italic>fonts/verdanai.ttf</italic>
    <boldItalic>fonts/verdanaz.ttf</boldItalic>
    <pdfEmbedded>true</pdfEmbedded>
</fontFamily>
warning

Always set <pdfEmbedded> to true. If omitted or set to false, text formatting may be lost during PDF export.

Deployment​

Server-side Export​

Copy the .jar to:

$ADITOHOME\lib\server\ext
note

Fonts may not be bundled with ADITO software builds due to licensing restrictions.
They must be installed and licensed by the customer.

If you want to use a non-standard font (e.g. Meta), ensure that:

  • The font is legally licensed
  • It allows embedding
  • The file has the installable permission

Font properties
Figure: Meta font marked as "Installierbar" (installable) in Windows font properties

If the font is not marked as installable, the PDF export will fail with a runtime error.